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T-Mobile's CEO and other executives have repeatedly stayed at President Trump's hotel in Washington, DC while lobbying the Trump administration for approval of T-Mobile's proposed acquisition of Sprint, according to a Washington Post story published today.

The Post's investigation is titled, "T-Mobile announced a merger needing Trump administration approval. The next day, 9 executives had reservations at Trump's hotel."

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T-Mobile and Sprint announced their $26 billion merger on April 29 last year and are still seeking approval to merge from the US Department of Justice, Federal Communications Commission, and state regulators. T-Mobile executives have faced skepticism about the deal from federal and state regulators, according to a report by The Capitol Forum. A coalition of consumer advocacy groups has been warning regulators that the deal will harm competition, raise prices for wireless consumers, kill up to 30,000 jobs, and result in worse wireless service.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere has made at least four visits to the Trump International Hotel since announcing the merger, "walking the lobby in his T-Mobile gear," and another T-Mobile executive has made at least 10 trips to the hotel in that time, the Post said. Rooms generally cost $300 or more a night.

"These visits highlight a stark reality in Washington, unprecedented in modern American history," the Post wrote. "Trump the president works at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Trump the businessman owns a hotel at 1100 Pennsylvania... Such visits raise questions about whether patronizing Trump's private business is viewed as a way to influence public policy, critics said."

The Post obtained VIP arrivals lists that showed 38 nights of hotel stays by T-Mobile executives, but the data is incomplete and the real number could be higher, the article said. The VIP lists were used by Trump hotel executives to let staff know when "foreign officials, corporate executives, long-term guests, Trump family friends and big spenders" were staying at the hotel. Eyewitness accounts of T-Mobile officials at the hotel also contributed to the Post article.

Legere swore off Trump hotels in 2015

Legere swore off Trump hotels in 2015 after Trump wrote on Twitter that "T-Mobile service is terrible" and "I don't want it in my buildings."

.@JohnLegere T-Mobile service is terrible! Why can't you do something to improve it for your customers. I don't want it in my buildings.

Legere subsequently wrote tweets that said, "I will obviously leave your hotel right away based on this," and "I am so happy to wake up in a hotel where every single item isn't labeled 'Trump' and all the books and TV is about him," according to a CNET story on April 12, 2015. Legere has apparently deleted those tweets.

Last week, Legere gave Trump hotels a much better review when interviewed by a Post reporter. The Post story included this account:

Last week, a Post reporter spotted Legere in the Trump hotel's lobby. In an impromptu interview, the T-Mobile chief executive said he was not seeking special treatment. He chose the Trump hotel, he said, for its fine service and good security.

"It's become a place I feel very comfortable," Legere said. He also praised the hotel's location, next to one of the departments that must approve the company's merger.

"At the moment I am in town for some meetings at the Department of Justice," Legere said. "And it's very convenient for that."

When contacted by Ars, a T-Mobile spokesperson said, "The T-Mobile senior leadership team stays at a variety of hotels in DC and across the country—and they are chosen primarily based on proximity to the meetings being conducted. We have complete confidence that regulators will assess our merger through an objective and fact-based process and ultimately see how beneficial it will be to consumers in the United States."

Legere addressed the controversy a few hours after this story was published, writing, "I respect this process and am working to get our merger done the right way. I trust regulators will make their decision based on the benefits it will bring to the US, not based on hotel choices."

Eric Trump, who is running the hotel business while his father serves as president, told the Post that the hotel has "absolutely no role in politics," and that "it should come as no surprise that a CEO of a major corporation would want to stay with us."